/ Hong Kong, what a crazy city. This was probably the best trip so far. I really do like travelling alone. I met a lot of really cool people at the hostel. The hostel was in north Kowloon in the much more Cantonese areat... absolutely amazing and cheap food. There were a bunch of open outdoor markets and small temples in the area. Downtown Kowloon was bustling with tourists and festivities. From the Kowloon coast (at 8pm) you can see a light and laser show put off from the buildings over on HK island. To get to HK you can take the subway, or its even cheaper to take a 5min ferry ride which drops you off in central HK. HK is home to some amazing shopping districts, international cuisine and loads and loads of bars and clubs. Theres also the worlds longest escalator which helps you get up the steep portions of HK on the way up Victoria Peak. Theres a tram that takes you up to Vic Peak, which is one of the best places to look at the HK skyline. HK was incredibly busy because of New Years and because i'm used to the small town life i wanted to get out of the city.
DAY 1 - KOWLOON
I arrived at my hostel just after noon and decided to explore. I wandered aimlessly through the busy markets and streets of North Kowloon. I eventually made my way down to Kowloon Park where there was a beautiful lantern display. At 8pm i went to see the laser-light show on Kowloon Pier. After the show I randomly met some Americans who were staying at my hostel. We walking around some more and ended the night at a HK dessert shop.
A view between the buildings from the hostel balcony.
Kowloon is a densely developed city with very little green space. This little park was one of a few in the area.
Outside the jade market.
A night market. Only open after 11pm.
A view a the laser/light show from Kowloon. This is apparently in the Guiness book of records as being the biggest in the world.
The only and dirtiest public bathroom in Kowloon.
One of the lantern displays at Kowloon Park.
There were more people than i have ever seen in my life in Hong Kong. All crosswalks looked like this day and night. This picture was taken at 2am.
DAY 2 - LANTAU ISLAND
On my second day, me and a Kiwi (New Zealander) from my hostel went to Lantau island. Lantau is home to the worlds largest Buddha and the highest mountains in the region. From the subway station you can take a bus up to the Buddha, but we wanted to be a little more adventurous so we set off to find some bikes. THe bike shop owners told us that there was a "trail" up to the Buddha but it would be difficult to find on our own. Amazingly they offered to bring us to the beginning of the trail and pointed us in the right direction. THe trail led us through the forest and up and around the mountains to the Buddha. Along the way we came across a few Buddhist monasteries tucked away in the mountains. THe trail took about 2-3hrs to reach the Buddha and was mostly uphill. We had to jump off the bikes where ever the path was too narrow or for steps or on the edges of steep slopes but all in all it was pretty good. THe trail also led us by Lantau peak (the tallest) and the Wisdom Path which leads to a bunch wooden pillars arranged in a figure 8 (15m high) used for rituals. Anyways the Buddha was huge and is atop a big hill which can be seen from a few KM away. To get to the Buddha you have to climb a few hundred steps. The ride home was really fast (35min) and i was actually surprised my bike made it. THe trip was definitely a highlight. When we got back we met up with some other people from the hostel and went out for drinks in the Lan Kwai Fung (party district) in HK.
Along the path up to the Buddha. One of the few spots where we were forced to dismount on the way up. ... I dont remember getting off on the way down.
An old bamboo forest.
Passing by another temple.
Some sort of salamander i'm guessing.
Outside a monastery. By the way, it's actually a backwards 'swastika' and is the symbol for Buddist temples.
A random shrine on the side of the hill.
A larger monastery. Monks were working hard cleaning and gardening outside the main building.
The gateway at the Buddha.
The largest Buddha in the world.
The small village around the Buddha.
Hey, what's up.
The pillars at the Wisdom Path.
The path around Lantau Peak.
A view of theb Buddha from the Wisdom Path. You can actually get a much better sense of how large it is from further away.
Along the trail on Lantau.
The mountains on Lantau. This picture was taken right after we got back.
DAY 3 - STANLEY
THe next day i went to Stanley on the southern most tip of HK island. Stanley is a small coastal community with a lot of really nice coves, beaches and markets. The bus ride to Stanley went through, up and over the mountains on HK island and was really beautiful. That night i met up with some people from the hostel and went to a Jazz club near the Soho district (another bar district) of HK.
Hong Kong Island.
A shrine at a Buddhist temple.
An old military cemetary from WWII.
The beautiful coastline of Stanley.
A covered market on Stanley.
Stanley.
An interesting market in Stanley.
DAY 4 - MACAU
The following day, I again wanted to get out of the city so i decided to go to Macau, only a 1hr ferry ride from the Kowloon port. Macau was amazing. Actually, i started the trip off in Taipa, a small Portugese village on an island south of Macau. THe streets were long, narrow and winding. Because of New Years all the restaurants and stores were giving out free samples of Portugese pasteries... really good. In one of the open squares in the village there was a chinese opera performance and in another there was a lion and dragon dance.
Macau itself was packed with tourists (unlike Taipa). There were a lot of beautiful chuches and a fort. Again the shops were giving out free samples. I also picked up some dim sum for dinner.. really good. That night, back in HK was the New Years parade. After the parade I met up with some people and spent my last night out on the town (didnt get to bed until 5ish).
The Year of the Dog.
Macau is famous for many things, one is casinos.
Macau tower. Tenth largest in the world.
An opera performance.
A lion dance.
A dragon dance.
Firecrackers in Macau. Smoke filled the bus.
Old Portugese buildings in Taipa.
A small Buddist shrine between the buildings on Taipa. The shrine is behind me, a very reflective door is in front of me.
The old Portugese estates on Taipa.
A mosaic on the wall of a building in Taipa.
St. Dominique's Church.
Inside St. Dominique's Church.
An old and dying building in Taipa.
The busy streets of Macau.
The ruins of St. Paulo's Church.
An open piazza outside the ruins of St. Paulo's Church.
Inside one of the historical building in Macau.
Old Macau.
The swisscheese and the tallest building on Hong Kong Island.
The bank of China building in Hong Kong.
I've been messing around with the different filter types on my camera. This shot was taken walking down an eerily lit street on Victoria Peak.
Hong Kong as seen from Victoria Peak.
There were no doors separating the different cars of the subway so you could look right down the end. However, this was a rare opportunity to have no people blocking the way.
On my last day I walked around Kowloon some more, got a some congee (rice soup) and then headed to the airport. And, i guess the final point of note was that there was some confusion with my seat on the airplane, and i got bumped up to first class..... lucky me!
